Double sequential defibrillation (DSD), also sometimes referred to as dual simultaneous defibrillation, is a treatment protocol that is growing in use and popularity to treat patients suffering from cardiac arrest. For a patient in ventricular fibrillation, and especially for a patient suffering from recurrent and uncontrolled ventricular fibrillation, the use of DSD or simultaneous defibrillation can be an effective treatment in restoring the patient's normal heart rhythm. DSD is considered by rescuers as a desperate last ditch effort to save the life of a cardiac arrest victim. Administration of DSD can be haphazard, poorly timed, and uncoordinated. DSD involves simultaneous defibrillation administered using two separate defibrillators, of the same or distinct types, such as an automated external defibrillator (AED) and/or a standard defibrillator or monitor/defibrillator. As DSD is currently practiced, human rescuers typically attempt to manually time the two (or more) defibrillation shocks to be delivered to the patient at as close to the same time as possible. However, due to the extremely short duration of the defibrillation pulses, and the limits of human temporal perception and motor control, in practice every pair of DSD shocks will have a slightly different timing. This variation in timing of the two shocks can impact both the efficacy and the safety of the DSD procedure.
Relying on human ability and/or judgment to administer shocks from two separate defibrillators in a coordinated manner is thus an imperfect system that can result in ineffective therapy outcomes due to improper shock delivery timing.
DSD and simultaneous defibrillation is becoming more widely adopted as a treatment for patients suffering from cardiac arrest. Presently, there is a need for a solution that would assist in proper delivery of DSD therapies that are efficient, safe, and effective.